Multi-material golf club head

Abstract

A golf club head formed of multiple materials is disclosed. Those portions of the club head that are subject to high stresses during normal use of the golf club head are formed of a metallic material. Most of the material beyond what is required to maintain structural integrity, however, is removed and replaced with a lightweight material. This freed-up mass that can be redistributed to other, more beneficial locations of the club head. The lightweight material also damps vibrations generated during use of the golf club. This vibration damper may be retained in a state of compression to enhance the vibration damping. One or more weight members may be included to obtain desired center of gravity position, moments of inertia, and other club head attributes. An insert formed of multiple materials and having regions of varying thickness may also be included on a rear surface of the club head.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 896,238 filed on Aug. 30, 2007, now pending, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11 / 822,197 filed on Jul. 3, 2007, now pending, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60 / 832,228 filed on Jul. 21, 2006, which are incorporated herein by reference their entireties.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to a golf club, and, more particularly, the present invention relates to a golf club head having a multi-material construction.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0003]Golf club heads come in many different forms and makes, such as wood- or metal-type, iron-type (including wedge-type club heads), utility- or specialty-type, and putter-type. Each of these styles has a prescribed function and make-up. The present invention will be discussed as relating to iron-type clubs, but the inventive teachings disclo...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0023]Traditionally, all or a large portion of the club head body is made of a metallic material. While it is beneficial to form some parts of the club head, such as the striking face, hosel, and sole, from a metallic material, it is not necessarily beneficial to form other parts of the club head from the same material. Most of the material beyond what is required to maintain structural integrity can be considered parasitic when it comes to designing a more forgiving golf club. The present invention provides an improved golf club by removing this excess or superfluous material and redistributing it elsewhere such that it may do one or more of the following: increase the overall size of the club head, optimize the club head center of gravity, produce a greater club head moment of inertia, and / or expand the size of the club head sweet spot.

[0025]This golf club head further includes a second body part that is made of a lightweight material, such that it provides for a traditional or otherwise desired appearance without imparting significant weight to the club head. Additionally, the second body part acts as a damping member, which can dissipate unwanted vibrations generated during use of the golf club. The second body part may form part of the club head sole. This second body part also acts as a spacer, allowing the inclusion of one or more dense third body parts. These third body parts can be positioned as desired to obtain beneficial attributes and playing characteristics. Exemplary positions for the third body parts (which may be considered weight members) include low and rear portions of the club head. The club head designer can thus manipulate the center of gravity position, moment of inertia, and other club head attributes.

[0026]The face of the club head may be unitary with the first body part, or it may be a separate insert that is joined to the club head body. Providing the face as a separate part allows the designer more freedom in selecting the material of the ball striking face, which may be different than the rest of the club head body. Use of a face insert also allows for the use of a damping member that is retained in a state of compression, which further enhances vibration damping. According to another inventive aspect, a multi-material insert assembly is attached to the rear surface of the golf club head, opposite the striking face. This insert assembly has varying rearward thickness. A relatively thick region of the insert assembly is positioned opposite the hitting region of the striking face, the area intended to impact a golf ball during a golf swing. A region of intermediate thickness is positioned to surround an area opposite the hitting region of the face. Finally, a relatively thin region is positioned towards the top of the club head rear surface.

Problems solved by technology

However, difficulty of use also increases with a decrease in loft angle and an increase in club length.

Because blade and muscle back designs have a small sweet spot, which is a term that refers to the area of the face that results in a desirable golf shot upon striking a golf ball, these designs are relatively difficult to wield and are typically only used by skilled golfers.

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